


Professional

by Ursa_Tattoo



Series: Undarcop AU [7]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, Love/Hate, M/M, Punch Punch Kiss, Scruffy Men Cleaning Up Nicely, Undarcop, but also will kiss afterwards, how else can i establish that these two can and will kick the shit out of each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 23:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19683499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursa_Tattoo/pseuds/Ursa_Tattoo
Summary: For rnainframe's Undarcop AU.Rex is taking a different, earlier approach with this timeline. That means he gets to wear new attire, and Powers is... conflicted.





	Professional

**Author's Note:**

> as always, go check out rnainframe's undarcop tag on tumblr!

Powers is back on Dangervest's trail, yet again. He's always on Dangervest's trail, it seems. Always tracking him down, always tracing him through timelines, but this one is... early. Weirdly early.

His cruiser lands in the intact city of Bricksburg, on the outskirts, and he can immediately see a change: Business's propaganda is gone. The posters encouraging conformity are nowhere to be seen, their absence palpable. The Octan symbol is still everywhere, and the city is as pristine as it once was, but Business's hands are no longer clearly clinging to everything.

His normal attire sticks out like a thornbush in an open field, so he dons a cloaking device so he can simply... observe. It's possible that Dangervest deposed Business, but things haven't devolved into lawlessness. What's his game?

(It's not the first time Dangervest has gotten rid of Business. Not by a long shot, for obvious reasons, as well as ones that Powers can't fathom.)

He does his research, unseen: seems Business has disappeared, but Octan is still operational, and the new President hasn't been making their face known. Not very characteristic of Dangervest: the man's an incessant showoff. Though it could always just be a new tactic. Much as the man loves his patterns and routines, he's not stupid. He changes things up when he needs to.

With the cloaking device, making it to Octan's main tower is child's play. He already knows all of the ins and outs of Octan, always has, so he's on his way to the very top floor in no time.

Inside Octan, things seem... _pleasant_. The aesthetics haven't changed much--though they tilt more towards blue than red now--but the atmosphere is... less stressed. Probably due to Business's absence, really. Even the _robots_ feared him.

He's silently noting all of this when he sees... himself. It's Dane, doing his typical stern walk through Octan to get to his destination, but Powers knows his own tics. There's the typical suspicion, but not so much of the terror that used to permeate his every motion within Octan. ~~The terror he can't seem to fucking shake.~~ It's... odd, and he can't quite define the emotion that seeing Dane less stressed makes him feel. So he ignores it, shoving it down with the rest of his emotions.

He keeps the cloaking up until he reaches the main office, and he hears... humming. In a _very_ familiar voice.

He drops the cloaking _immediately,_ slamming open the office doors to reveal Dangervest, seated low in an office chair with his legs kicked up on the desk.

The first thing Powers notices isn't the very... _Dangervest_ spin on the place that used to give him hell. It's not the 'President Dangervest' placard on the desk, and it's not even the typical little smirk on Dangervest's face. It's... the outfit.

Rex Dangervest is a predictably unpredictable sort of man, and his attire rarely changes across timelines and time loops. He settled with the punk rebel look after Undar and never left it behind. But here? His typically scruffy hair is tamed a little, tied into a loose ponytail. His typical ripped attire is replaced with something neater: a dark suit-vest with a light button down beneath it, his tie loosened and sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He hasn't seemed to abandon the fingerless gloves, but his patched jeans have been traded for neatly pressed slacks, his combat boots for dress shoes. He looks... good.

Rex smiles one of his typical disarming grins, and Powers feels his face start to flush red.

"Look who finally showed up. What took you so long, bud?" Rex's voice is a roughly teasing sort of purr, and Powers has to take a moment to regain his composure. _It's **Dangervest,** he's just trying to get inside your head._

"..." When Powers tries to speak, the only thing that comes out is a strangled little noise, and Rex laughs.

"Speechless, huh? Maybe I'll have to dress like this more often."

"Don't. What are you doing here, Dangervest?" It's _Dangervest_ , not Rex, not anything more familiar, they're _enemies_ , not... not anything else.

 ~~Rex~~ Dangervest laughs again. "I think that's pretty obvious, bud. I'm taking care of things now that Business is... out of commission."

He knew that this would be the way it is, but it sends a spike of ~~rage~~ ~~betrayal~~ ~~fear~~ emotion running through him. "Following in your father's footsteps."

Dangervest's casual smile freezes on his face as he's seized by a tension that Powers hadn't noticed was there. He barks out a laugh, but it doesn't much sound like one. "It sure does look like that, doesn't it?"

"Definitely."

"Yeah, well, it's not quite what it seems."

"Your desk has a 'President Dangervest' placard on it."

"...Okay, it's exactly what it seems, but I'm trying to _fix_ this timeline, dude. I like power, but I'm not a politician." There's something odd in his eyes. Almost like he needs Powers to believe him, but that's ridiculous.

"You don't _fix_ things." Powers marches up to the desk, planting his hands on it so he can stare Dangervest in the eyes. ~~He's subtly twitchy. Bad memories with someone all too similar.~~ "What are you _really_ doing here."

"I _told_ you, bud, I'm here to fix things. Business is gone, Octan's being slowly phased into the control of the people, and once the final phase is complete, I'll be out of here."

"And what's 'the final phase'."

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?"

Powers scowls, grabbing Dangervest by his tie and pulling him close to snarl in his face. ~~Is that a blush on his cheeks?~~ "I will _not_ let you taint another timeline, Dangervest. Whatever your game is this time, I'm not playing it, and I _will_ stop you."

"That a promise?" Dangervest grins ~~despite the lingering redness on his face~~. "Let's see you try, bud."

Powers thinks he wants to punch that grin off his face, so he goes for it. ~~He doesn't consider the other option for long.~~ The two are tossed into the heat of combat, tumbling around and getting as many hits in as each can. It's a scrappy sort of fight, no holds barred (aside from the lines neither will cross). When they finally reach an impasse, Rex has been pressed against the wall of the office, Powers's hands gripping his shoulders as they both try to catch their breath, staring at each other.

If Powers doesn't pull away when Rex pulls on his tie and yanks him into a rough kiss, he'll say he was simply distracted.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to speculate on what this timeline's deal is, dudes, i might write more drabbles taking place within it (probably focusing on rex's interactions with gcbc)


End file.
